Colo shooting suspect was hospitalized, restrained

DENVER (AP) — Colorado theater shooting suspect James Holmes was taken from jail to the psychiatric ward of a hospital in November because he was considered a danger to himself, and he was frequently held in restraints while hospitalized, according to a court document released Friday.

The document said Holmes was taken to Denver Health Medical Center on Nov. 15 because he was "in immediate need of a psychiatric evaluation" and was held there for several days.

The document provided the first public confirmation of another incident in which Holmes was hospitalized for "potential self-inflicted head injuries in his cell." It did not say when that incident occurred.

The revelations heighten expectations that Holmes would plead not guilty by reason of insanity on Tuesday, his next scheduled court appearance.

The hospitalizations were disclosed in a motion by Holmes' lawyers asking the judge to order sheriff's investigators to preserve hospital surveillance video of the November incident.

Holmes faces multiple counts of murder and attempted murder in the July 20 shootings during a midnight showing of a Batman movie in the Denver suburb of Aurora. Twelve people were killed and 70 injured.

Holmes' mental health has been mentioned with increasing frequency in court documents and hearings. He had seen a psychiatrist professionally before the shootings, and he mailed that psychiatrist a notebook. Last week, defense attorneys publicly acknowledged for the first time that they were considering an insanity plea.

The contents of the notebook haven't been disclosed, but some media have reported it included drawings depicting violence.